Game board with means for receiving game pieces in a plurality of different vertically displaced positions



Aprll 7, 1964 KOLENDA 3,128,098

GAME BOARD WITH MEANS FOR RECEIVING GAME P ES IN A PLURALITY OFDIFFERENT VERTICALLY D TIONS Filed Sept ISPLACED P 6, 1962 I m) e n1:o'r Edwa rd R- Kolend a. 33, MW, Mww& flvhilfiw United States 3,128,098Patented Apr. 7, 1964 ice 3,128,098 GAME BOARD WITH MEANS FOR RECEIVINGGAME PIECES IN A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT VERTICALLY DISPLACED POSITIONSEdward R. Kolentla, 8025 S. Linder, 02k Lawn, Ill. Filed Sept. 6, 1962,Ser. No. 221,763 Claims. (Cl. 273-136) This invention relates to gameapparatus and particularly to such apparatus wherein a checker board hasgame pieces mounted in alternate squares of the game board in apermanently associated manner for playing the game of checkers.

Many different variations of checker boards have been provided whereinthe playing pieces were associated more or less permanently with theboard, but in the prior game apparatus of this general character, thestructure has been relatively complicated and has introducedcomplications in the playing operations, and it is therefore the primaryobject of this invention to provide simplified game apparatus forplaying the game of checkers, and it is a related object to provide suchgame apparatus wherein permanently associated playing pieces may bereadily manipulated by the players to indicate that a particular playingpiece is out-of-play, in play, and to indicate whether or not it is anordinary playing piece or is entitled to a king rating in the play.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims, and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which, by way of illustration, show a preferredembodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof, and whatis now considered to the best mode in which to apply these principles.Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalentprinciples may be used and structural changes may be made as desired bythose skilled in the art without departing from the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a checker board embodying the featuresof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view that is fragmentary in character andtaken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a playing piece in itsout-of-play position;

FIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3, and showing the playing piece in anormal playing position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 and showing a playing piece inits king position;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the playingpieces when it has been shifted to a vertical plan for the purpose ofshifting it between the positions shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

For purposes of disclosure the invention is herein illustrated asembodied in game apparatus 10 which is adapted for playing the game ofcheckers, and which embodies the game board 11, the upper face of whichis divided into sixty-four squares that are alternately of differentcolors, and which are herein indicated, according to color, as 12R and12W.

Centrally located in each of the white squares 12W, a playing piece 15is permanently mounted, these playing pieces having the generalcharacteristics of the usual playing pieces used in the game ofcheckers, but the playing pieces 15 are somewhat thicker than wouldordinarily be used and are made with different colors on the oppositeflat faces thereof. Thus as indicated in FIGS. 3 to 5, each playingpiece 15 is colored black on one side thereof and is colored red on theother side thereof, and

the peripheral edges may of course be correspondingly colored down tothe mid-plane of the playing piece 15.

In associating the playing pieces 15 with the several squares 12W, theplaying board 11 in each of the squares 12W, is provided with acentrally located circular opening 16 within which the correspondingplaying piece 15 is mounted for shifting movement up and down betweenthe several position shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, and for rotativemovement about a horizontal axis so that either the black or the redside of the checker may be located in an upwardly facing position.

In providing for such a mounting of the playing piece 15, the board 11is in the present instance made from a top wall 11T, a bottom wall 11Band internal division walls 11W that connect the top and bottom Wallstogether and define recesses 11R beneath the opening 16 which areprovided in the top wall 11T. The depth of these recesses is somewhatmore than one-half the diameter of the playing piece 15, and this isnecessary in order that the playing piece may be manipulated as will behereinafter described.

In providing for the desired shifting movements of the playing piece 15,as above described, each playing piece 15 is provided with a diametricshaft 18 that is located midway between the opposite fiat faces of theplaying piece 15 and which extends beyond the opposite side edges of theplaying piece 15 so that these projecting ends may extend into resilientsupporting clips 20 that are provided in the walls 11W of the recesses11R as shown particularly in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7 of the drawings. Themounting clip 20 is in the present instance made from a resilient sheetmetal and is generally U-shaped in form. The clips 20 are mounted invertical slots 22 that are formed in the walls 11W in appropriatelocations, and one arm of the U-shaped clip 20 is bent to a horizontalposition to provide an attaching ear 20E that may be suitably secured asby a screw to the lower edge of the wall 11W beside the slot 22. The twoopposed arms of the clip 20 are provided with arcuate portions thatoppose each other and in effect provide three different bearing portions2013 in which the projecting ends of the shaft 18 may be located.

When the shaft 18 is located in the lower one of the bearing portions26B, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper flat surface of the playingpiece 15 is located substantially in the plane of the upper surface ofthe playing board, and as above pointed out, this is the out-of-playposition. When a player wishes to change the vertical position of theplaying piece 15, he merely presses down on one edge of the playingpiece so as to bring it to a substantially vertical plane as indicatedin FIG. 7 of the drawing. The player may then grasp the projecting upperportion of the playing piece to move the same upwardly or downwardly andthereby engage the shaft 18 with another one of the bearing portions 20Bof the supporting clips 24). When the shaft 18 is moved into position inthe upper one of the bearing portions 208, the playing piece will belocated in the king position of FIG. 5, while location of the shaft 18in the middle one of the bearing portions ZtlB will locate the playingpiece in the playing position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings.

With the structure that is thus provided, the playing pieces aremaintained at all times in association with the playing board 11, and bysuitable manipulation of the playing pieces, the game of checkers may beplayed.

Thus, in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the first three rows of playing piecesadjacent opposite edges of the board have been marked with the letters Rand B to indicate that these pieces have been rotated respectively totheir red and black positions, and over and above this, most of theseplaying pieces in the first three rows adjacent opposite edges of theboard are elevated to the playing position shown in FIG. 4. However, twoof the playing pieces 315 are shown in FIG. 1 in their vertical positionwhich is assumed when the pieces are being turned, or raised or lowered.In the two central rows of the board, either the red or the black faceof the checker or playing piece may be exposed, but the playing piecesin these two rows are moved downwardly to the out-of-play closedposition as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. Such a setting of theplaying pieces then corresponds to the initial or starting arrangementof playing pieces employed with conventional checker board sets.

With the board set up as shown in FIG. 1, play may proceed according tothe usual rules of checkers, but the movements of the playing pieces arerepresented by manipulation of the individual playing pieces 15 that maybe involved. Thus, if it be assumed that the red playing piece 115indicated in FIG. 1 is to be moved from the square 112W to the square212W, the playing piece 115 is depressed from its playing position ofFIG. 4 to its outof-play position shown in PEG. 3, and then the playingpiece 215 is in its exposed position.

This same general procedure is followed when a playing piece is moved towhat amounts to a conventional jump, the playing pieces beingappropriately shifted in a vertical relationship so that when theshifting movements are complete, the playing board constitutes anaccurate representation of the play that has been made.

When one of the players has succeeded in locating one of his playingpieces in the king position of the opposing playing, this playing pieceis accorded the king value by raising this playing piece to the fullyelevated position of FIG. 5.

*rom the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides game apparatus for playing checkers wherein theplaying pieces are permanently associated with the playing board, and inwhich the playing pieces may be readily and easily manipulated to givean accurate representation of the progress of the play.

Thus while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustratedherein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scopeof the appending claims.

I claim:

1. In game apparatus for use in playing the game of checkers, a playingboard having a checker board design thereon and downward recesses formedcentrally in alternate squares of the checker board, disc-like playingpieces having opposite faces of different colors and disposed in therespective recesses, and having diametric support shafts thereinparallel to and midway between opposite faces thereof, bearing meanswithin said recesses and resiliently engaging said shafts to supportsaid shafts at any one of a plurality of different levels.

2. In game apparatus for use in playing the game of checkers, a playingboard having a checker board design thereon and having downward recessesformed centrally in alternate squares of the checker board, disc-likeplaying pieces having opposite faces of different colors and said piecesbeing disposed in the respective recesses and having diametric supportshafts therein parallel to and midway between opposite faces thereof,and means within said recesses for guiding said shafts for up and downiovement to position the shafts in any one of a plurality of differentvertical positions, and resilient means for yieldingly supporting saidshafts rotatably in any one of said different vertical positions.

3. In garne apparatus for playing the game of checkers, a playing boardhaving a checker board design thereon and downward recesses formedcentrally in alternate squares of the checker board, disc-like playingpieces disposed in the respective recesses, and means supporting saidpieces within said recesses for rotative movement about horizontal axesand for up and down movement to any one of a plurality of differentvertical positions, and resilient means for yieldingly supporting saidpieces in any one of said different vertical positions.

4. In game apparatus for playing the game of checkers, a playing boardhaving a checker board design thereon and downward recesses formedcentrally in alternate squares of the checker board, disc-like playingpieces having opposite faces of different colors and disposed in therespective recesses, pivotal support means acting between said board andthe respective pieces within said recesses to pivot said pieces onhorizontal axes, and said pivotal support means providing a plurality ofdifferent pivotal axes for each piece at different levels.

5. in game apparatus for use in playing the game of checkers, a playingboard having a checker board design thereon and having downward recessesformed centrally in alternate squares of the checker board, disc-likeplaying pieces having opposite faces of different colors and said piecesbeing disposed in the respective recesses and having diametric supportshafts therein parallel to and midway between opposite faces thereof,and a pair of spring clips mounted in and on opposite sides of each ofsaid recesses and having a plurality of resilient arcuate portionsengageable with the end portions of the related shaft to define aplurality of different vertical positions, between which positions theshaft may be shifted vertically to support the shaft rotatably in anyone of said different vertical positions.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 687,487Powell Nov. 26, 1901 2,268,892 Erle Oct. 28, 1941 2,452,341 WassermanOct. 26, 1948 3,074,721 DeMoon Jan. 22, 1963

3. IN GAME APPARATUS FOR PLAYING THE GAME OF CHECKERS, A PLAYING BOARDHAVING A CHECKER BOARD DESIGN THEREON AND DOWNWARD RECESSES FORMEDCENTRALLY IN ALTERNATE SQUARES OF THE CHECKER BOARD, DISC-LIKE PLAYINGPIECES DISPOSED IN THE RESPECTIVE RECESSES, AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAIDPIECES WITHIN SAID RECESSES FOR ROTATIVE MOVEMENT ABOUT HORIZONTAL AXESAND FOR UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT TO ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENTVERTICAL POSITIONS, AND RESILIENT MEANS FOR YIELDINGLY SUPPORTING SAIDPIECES IN ANY ONE OF SAID DIFFERENT VERTICAL POSITIONS.